Mrs. Exeter Is a Friend of Mine

Meet Mrs. Exeter. She's not a real person, but I think you'll like her all the same.

Allow me to explain. I'm lucky enough to have in my possession the Vogue Pattern catalog from April 1957, on loan to me from a very generous co-worker. There are lots of pretty dresses in this catalog, as I'm sure you can imagine. Isn't it funny, though, how pretty can become a little tedious after a while? I went in search of more unusual treasures, like very strange maternity pants and swimming bloomers paired with conical straw hats (more on these wonders to come). But the real goldmine was a section with a tab that reads, "Mrs. Exeter: Sizes to 42 - 44 - 46."

I was intrigued, to say the least. I wondered if this was Vogue's version of Simplicity's Slenderette patterns, which I investigated here and here. Well, a little web searching revealed something more fascinating altogether.

Apparently, Mrs. Exeter was a fictional character introduced by Vogue magazine in the late 1940's meant to represent women "of a certain age."

Mrs. Exeter introduced herself to Vogue readers by proclaiming:

"I, for example, forgive myself a 33 inch waist. I've made my peace with my upper arms and my disappearing eyebrows. I've forgiven the yellowing (mellowing? Thank you, dear) of my complexion… Fifty has its tricks, too, just as have 17, 30 and 40. Dressing well, looking well, at any age involves some playing up and some playing down."

Isn't she quite sassy?

The Mrs. Exeter section in the 1957 Vogue Pattern catalog has a larger size range than the misses' section, and the designs were chosen to be flattering for the Mrs. Exeter type. It also has style advice for the season. For spring 1957, Mrs. Exeter's fabric choice was linen tweed. As for color, she fancied "arbour red," which is described as "purply-pink shades . . . sweetbrier rose and rich fruity mulberry." (Mmm!)

At the bottom of the following catalog page, you'll see the tagline, "Easy Slimness . . . Perfect for Mrs. Exeter."


I know I've only just met Mrs. Exeter, but for some reason, I've rather come to like her. At least, I rather like the version of her in my head - where she does not resemble any of these tiny-waisted models in the slightest. (She's more of a Mrs. Doubtfire character in my mind.)

I'm a big fan of the writer Anne Lamott, and as I was reading this article on Mrs. Exeter, I came to think of Lamott's essay entitled "The Aunties" from the book Traveling Mercies. Here's a sample:

I was not wearing a cover-up, not even a T-shirt. I had decided I was going to take my thighs and butt with me proudly wherever I went. I decided, in fact, on the way to the beach that I would treat them as if they were beloved elderly aunties, the kind who did embarrassing things at the beach, like roll their stockings into tubes around their ankles, but whom I was proud of because they were so great in every real and important way.

Now, mind you, I'm not comparing Mrs. Exeter to the aunties, because Mrs. Exeter is very dignified. But Mrs. Exeter has a very real acceptance of herself, one that I would like to carry with me everywhere, just like Anne Lamott carries her aunties.

To Mrs. Exeter!

Remnants: Evening Dress Poll and the Giveaway Winner!

Readers, I've been pondering the Evening Dress pattern from Vogue's New Book for Better Sewing, even though I have a loooong time before I'll be making it. I'm going to need your feedback here, please.

Basically, I have no purpose for a full-length gown in my life. I've considered the idea of shortening it to knee-length so it would be a good party dress. But is that cheating? Does it detract from my goal of making all the patterns? Should I just make it full-length for the hell of it?

Anyway, I wanted to hear your thoughts. So I've added a poll widget to the top right hand corner of the blog. Please share your opinion!

Also, congrats to commenter LaKaribane, who is the winner of a snazzy Half-Size Slenderette shirtdress pattern! And look for more giveaways to come.

P.S. LaKaribane, please e-mail me to arrange for delivery of the pattern!

Giveaway Reminder!

Just a reminder that you have until midnight tonight if you'd like to win the "Half Size Slenderette" pattern featured here.

To win, just enter a comment saying you'd like to win on this post. The pattern is a 14-1/2, meaning it's intended for petites, measurements 35-29-39.

"Slenderette" Demystified! And a Giveaway!

I wrote to Simplicity Patterns to try to get the inside scoop of the "slenderette" pattern line from the 50's and 60's. A very helpful employee responded!

Nicole, our friend from Simplicity, writes that the term slenderette "was only used as a design name for patterns and garments that would essentially make you look more slender." So there we have it! This explains why it was available in such a large range of sizes, not just "plus" sizes (whatever that means in the world of vintage patterns).

In Vogue's New Book for Better Sewing,there's an interesting parallel. In the section on "Selecting Your Patterns," they offer up this bit of advice for a "slenderette" effect:

If you wear a size 44 or 46, look in the separate section in the Vogue Pattern Counter Catalogue. There you will find a varied choice of patterns designed with subtle arrangements of vertical lines, panels or gores that help give an illusion of slimness.

Interesting, eh?

And then there's the "Half Size Slenderette." To my query about these sizes, Nicole from Simplicity responded:

"From the 50’s to around the 70’s half sizes catered to a shorter fuller figured body type and were available not only in patterns but also ready to wear. So it wasn’t for petite or plus size it was its own category of clothing."

Now to the giveaway! I have this Half Size Slenderette pattern (below) to give to a good home. It's a lovely shirtdress with a full or slim skirt option, as well as short or three-quarter sleeves. It's a half size 14-1/2, which means a 35" inch bust, 29" waist, and 39" hip. If you'd like to win this pattern, please leave a comment indicating that you'd like this pattern by the end of the day on Monday, August 3rd. I'll choose someone to bestow it upon. (If you don't want the pattern, you can still comment--and please do!)

P.S. The pattern featured at the top of the post is a regular slenderette in a 38" bust, available from this wonderful seller!

Just Call Me Slenderette

After our discussion this week about the Simplicity "slenderette" patterns, I thought I should give one a go.

This is Simplicity #3446, which I bought from a great Etsy shop. I made it up in a cotton polka dot print, which I had originally bought to make the chemise dress from VoNBBS. I decided that the drape wasn't quite right for the chemise dress, so a new plan was hatched. I don't have many cotton work dresses and they're so nice in the summer, aren't they?

This was a fun little pattern to make up. I used a lot of the skills I've been picking up from VoNBBS--tailor's tacks, seam binding on the hem, etc. So I really have been learning things!

Here's a close up of the bodice:

This pattern is from 1960, so it's a printed pattern, as opposed to the patterns I've been using from VoNBBS. This really got me thinking about the evolution of the sewing pattern. That must have been one of the single most mind-blowing changes in the business. Can you imagine how that would have changed the home sewing experience? You've been plodding along for years, using blank patterns, and then bam! Suddenly you have a crystal clear road map in bold black ink.

So what do you think? Do I look "slenderette"?

Oh, speaking of which, I wrote to Simplicity's consumer service department to see if they had any info on the slenderette pattern line. I can't say that I really expected a response, but someone got right back to me, saying that she would look into it. I'll let you know what I hear!

Now, for real this time, I'm going to start the chemise dress. I bought a lovely boysenberry-colored silk to make it in. More to come!

Simplicity "Slenderette" Patterns: WTF?

So, I just received a copy of this lovely dress pattern from this Etsy seller who has lots of great vintage finds. You'll notice that it's marked "slenderette" in the black box at the top of the pattern. I've been racking my brain and the internet to try to figure out what that term could possibly mean.

Unfortunately, the pattern doesn't specify anywhere, and I can't seem to find any specific information online. But as far as I can tell, these patterns were made for women of a certain size. Now, the pattern I bought is for a 34" bust, which of course doesn't jibe with our modern idea of plus-sizes. But when I did specific searches for slenderette patterns, I saw a lot of larger sizes that you don't normally come across that often in vintage patterns: lots of 40" and 42" bust sizes.

For what it's worth, there was also something called a "half-size slenderette." The bust sizes run in odd instead of even numbers: 35" up to 41", as far as I can tell. One site specifies that the half-size slenderettes were for women 5' 3" and under.

But I also found a slenderette in a bust size 32". Damn, I'm confused.

What can we make of all this? Were these patterns actually made for plus-size women? Or were they suppose to give the impression of slenderness?

Furthermore, what in the world could a word like "slenderette" possibly even mean? Slender means slim, and "ette" is a suffix added to a word to make it diminuitive and feminine. Kitchenette. Bacholorette. Smurfette. So, I guess slenderette is like extreme slenderness. Whoa.

Damn euphemisms.

Does anyone have any clues or ideas about these patterns? I'd love to hear your thoughts.